New York fashion designer Byron Lars arrived on the scene in 1991 with a small collection of sportswear, focused on what he coined “twisted American classics.” Byron hit several career highs including lavish showcases during the birth of New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park. His trajectory also included a major acknowledgement by Womens’ Wear Daily, considered the ‘Bible’ of the fashion industry, who named him “Rookie of the Year.” That honor attracted retailers like: Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, along with 100 specialty stores throughout the US, plus, distribution in France and the United Kingdom. Kal Ruttenstein, Fashion Director and Senior Vice President of Bloomingdales was noted as saying: “Byron has the freshest point of view of all the young American designers.”

CURVY COUTURE

Now, Byron has taken his creations to the next level. For his Spring/Summer 2017 collection shown at the Metropolitan West in New York City, this super-talented designer showcased sizes up to 22 on the catwalk, noting that some 67% of American women fall into the size 12 range. For this first venture into the reality of curvy couture, Byron’s models included Liris Crosse, Danielle James, Latrice and Olympic Medalist winner Kristi Castlin.

INSPIRATION

“My inspiration was my customer, these women include sizes from 18 to 22. We’ve always carried sizes 0 to 12, but there’s another part of the narrative that I’ve been missing, my customers is always talking about wanting these clothes and now I’m giving them to her,” said Byron. “We engineered everything on a size 18…I Iove all women, and, I want to dress them all and make them feel beautiful because they are.”

BYRON LARS BEAUTY MARK

Byron’s latest thrust came as an offspring of his ‘Byron Lars Beauty Mark,’ which was launched some eight years ago. ‘Byron Lars Beauty Mark’ took it’s cue from from his legendary shirts and shirt-dresses of the previous collections that put him on the map. Byron took the basic men’s cotton dress shirt and distorted it to a point of manipulation that became an instant trademark. Byron told media representatives; “When edgy fashion is steeped into something familiar, it becomes far less alienating to the consuming public.” With Brton Lars Beauty Mark, the designer has shifted his focus from the designer collection to a contemporary line in pricing and structure. “I want it to be more about the clothes and less about the hype.”

THE EXPANSION
Byron Lars is in the process of further expanding his product line to include knits, sportswear and dresses, including the highly sought after sexy shirts. Byron has also designed a limited edition of designer Barbie dolls for Mattel, and, has attracted the attention of licensees for handbags, hats and furs.